Where has the time gone?!? It feels like just yesterday I was 13, Laura was five and I was babysitting her. Now I was helping plan her wedding! This was a really special wedding to me. I have known the Beaty’s for 18 years. I have watched Laura grow up. I was very honored when they asked me to coordinate the Beaty-Dillon wedding. What a fun adventure!

Laura is a grade school teacher so The Hollywood Schoolhouse was a perfect fit for the ceremony and reception. I love the look and feel of the building. Wood and brick accents make the best backdrop for photos! The grounds around the venue are kept up beautifully. Laura knew what she wanted, but didn’t want to do a whole lot of the planning. However, her mother, Susan, loves planning! So Susan dove right in to bring Laura’s ideas together.

Laura knew she wanted a whimsical garden feel to the day with hints of her profession intertwined. Her vision turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined. The venue already set the perfect backdrop and she brought in apple green, coral and cream accents with her colors. Laura and her mother fell in LOVE with this amazing book arch they found at the Seattle Wedding Show and they complemented it with big bundles of baby’s breath. It was the perfect look in front of white sheer curtains for Laura and Grady’s ceremony. Laura and Grady each had four attendants standing with them, two handsome ring bearers and the most adorable little flower girl. The girls wore knee length chiffon dresses, different styles, in gray and the guys were dressed in gray suits. Laura was a stunning bride in her long lace strapless gown and cathedral length veil. She wore her hair up with simple and elegant make-up and jewelry. Laura is definitely not five anymore!

The ceremony was a perfect 20 minutes. Their good friend officiated and it was beautiful and heartfelt. Wonderful words of wisdom and advice. Laura and Grady also had two close friends play and sing their ceremomy music. Following the ceremony was a cocktail hour outside so we could transition the ceremony into the reception. It was a beautiful sunny 75 degrees. The guests enjoyed the bar and passed appetizers while the new husband and wife enjoyed some quiet time upstairs signing the marriage license and taking a breather before the reception festivities. As soon as the room was transferred over, guests were invited in to find their escort card. The escort cards were printed on a cream paper to match the invitations and programs and each one was inserted into a decorative binder clip and stood in a tray of silver decorative pebbles. Once each guest found their table and got their drink of choice, the bride and groom were introduce into the reception. The tables were adorned with white linens, a large round mirror, painted white books, glassy baby’s, thin vases with flowers and a painted white wooden apple with a pencil holding the table number. Very creative and perfect. Each place setting had homemade jam, the bride’s moms specialty, for the guests to take home and enjoy.

To kick off the reception, Grady’s brother Conor and his wife hosted a little game. They would hold up a sign with a word or phrase and if it pertained to you, you were asked to stand. After standing, Laura and Grady tried to guess what was on the sign based on who was standing. This was very fun and a great way to get the guests involved. Following the game was dinner. It was a lovely array of food that everyone seemed to enjoy.

After dinner, were some heartfelt toasts from Kristina – maid of honor, Conor – best man, Shannon – matron of honor and Mark – bride’s father. Each toast was thought out well beforehand and very meaningful to both Laura and Grady. This couple was definitely surrounded by a room full of love. From toasts, they moved onto the cake cutting. Laura and Grady chose a small cutting cake and to serve their guests cookies and milk for dessert, a favorite for the couple. The first dance was next and Laura and Grady danced to a song sung by Annie and Jonah, long time family friends. It is the first wedding I have ever planned or been to that has done something like this. Following the first dance, was the father-daughter dance and then the mother-son dance. I had to hold back tears through each dance. I don’t normally cry at weddings…but, this one almost brought on the tears a few times.

Then, the traditional event all the singles had been waiting for…or not. The bouquet and garter toss. First up, the bouquet toss. Laura and Grady are still in their early twenties, so they had a good crowd to throw into. A good friend of Laura’s happily caught the bouquet. Grady took the guys outside for a garter toss…with a soccer ball and a good friend of his was the lucky guy to catch it. Everyone seemed to want to catch the bouquet and garter.

With the traditional events done, it was time for everyone to get their party on and show off their dance moves. Everyone was very eager to get out on the dance floor. The DJ, Yoshi, was phenomenal and really kept the crowd going. As fast as the party started, it came to an end and before anyone knew it we were sending Laura and Grady off through a tunnel of sparklers.

What a fabulous day. What an honor to be asked to play such a big role for someone so special to me. Laura and Grady I wish you nothing but the best in this adventure and I can’t wait to see what life has in store for you!